Summer Friends
by BlueAries03
Summary: Jace and Clary have been going to Alicante Lake for several years, but after a mishap leading Clary to leave for good, Jace hasn't seen her in years. After her aunt's passing, Clary comes back to clean up the house and put it up for sale. When she comes back, old memories and feelings resurface. But, she's changed, Jace's changed. Will they be able to rekindle what they once had?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello lovely people, I'm back with another story for you all! I don't know how many chapters this is going to be but at least 3 or 4 (just a little 3 or 4-shot). I've gotten a little bored with ****_The Good, The Bad, and The Okay I Guess_**** and I don't really know what direction I want to take that story, but in the meantime, I knew I wanted to entertain you guys in whatever way I could. I wrote this during the summer, although now it's currently the school year when I'd be publishing the first chapter...we'll just overlook that... ;) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy my new story: ****_Summer Friends_****! **

"Jace, wait up!" Clary called frantically, her bright red hair flying behind her as she ran. She subconsciously reached a freckled hand out to feel the tickle of the soft grasses as she passed by.

She knew exactly where he was going, to _their _dock. The dock she'd fallen off their first week here. The very same dock Jace had swam to when he was 7, allowing him to win the annual swimming competition held by the neighborhood kids every summer. Ever since that day, he was the undefeated champion.

Even Jon, Clary's older brother by 3 years who prided himself on his swimming skills, wasn't able to beat Jace's time. And Clary never let him live it down.

She followed his bouncing blond head through the foliage and into the clearing. Sprawling hills and lush green trees framed the view of a crystal-clear blue lake. The dock in particular was a worn chestnut brown with chipping beige paint. Splinters littered the sides, giving anyone who stepped with bare feet a painful surprise.

He placed his shoes and socks at the foot of the dock with a mischievous glint in his golden eyes, and Clary suppressed the urge to roll her's. At only 10 years of age, Jace was becoming a little troublemaker, and Clary's goodie-two-shoes attitude clashed with his on the daily.

He didn't bother taking off his clothes and sprinted off the dock and into the water with a resounding _splash!_ Clary was losing track of how many times she'd have to stop herself from rolling her eyes. _Boys, _she thought, _always trying to show off. _

She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down from the edge of the dock. He still had that boyish grin on his face and this time she did roll her eyes. "Jesus, Jace. One of these days, I'm not going to come with you on your little _escapades _and you're going to be all alone."

She'd heard the word escapades being used by her mother to address Jon and felt very grown up upon using it. The startled look on Jace's face made it even better, but he quickly looked down at the water surrounding him.

"C'mon Clare" he said, "don't be such a baby and get in." She knew he was just saying it to get a rise out of her, but damn did it work.

She turned on her heel and sped across the dock to where Jace's shoes were placed. Clary almost looked ready to leave but crouched down to untie her shoes.

She didn't miss the hearty grin Jace shot her from the water, the light bouncing off his teeth and emphasizing the small chip in his left incisor. The small flaw making his already-perfect appearance more bearable.

Stepping out of her shoes, Clary felt the damp soil between her small toes and relished in the feeling. She wiggled them happily and cracked a small smile. Her small feet backed up a few paces to give her a starting distance, and that's when she took off.

Clary wasn't a very athletic person, in fact she was quite clumsy. Her mother said it was one of her most endearing qualities, but not when it made you look like a fool in front of your crush.

Right then, everything seemed to go in slow motion. One moment, Clary was dashing across the rickety old dock, a carefree grin on her face, the next, a searing pain in her right foot.

The fear in Jace's eyes made her scared to look down, but she knew she had to at some point. And what she saw made her almost sway on her feet.

Multiple streams of scarlet blood beaded from one large gash on the bottom of her foot. A fire of pain enveloped her entire foot.

It took her a few moments of blinking her eyes repeatedly to register the pain as hers and let out a scream of pure, unadulterated agony.

She barely heard Jace climb out of the water and take her in his arms, surprisingly strong for a 10 year old. He carried her to her aunt's house with tears of anguish streaming down her face.

As soon as Charlotte saw her small niece in the boy's arms, her expression changed from one of shock to one of concern. She shot the younger boy a grateful look and took the girl into her arms, leading her out to the car to take her to the hospital.

He sank to the floor. _Was she really going to be okay? _And that was the last he saw of her for the next 7 years.

_7 years later… _

"You really need to go back to Alicante Lake, Clare," Isabelle Lightwood said over the phone. "It's been almost 7 years, I'm sure things haven't changed _that _much."

_That's what she thought, _Clary thought to herself tersely. She wasn't dense. She'd stalked Jace's Instagram over the past few years. He partied hard, and went through girls like Kleenex. Why would he want to see her again? They were childhood friends, nothing more.

Her friend's pressing voice interrupted her train of thought, "Please!" Izzy cried. "I'll come with you so it won't be as awkward. Plus, I wanna meet Mr. McHottie in person!" Her voice lowered teasingly.

Clary released a breathy laugh into the phone, "Don't you have a boyfriend though?"

She could practically feel her friend rolling her eyes. "Just because I have one, doesn't mean I can't admire them from afar."

This is when she was glad she'd broken up with Sebastian when she did. If she was still dating him when she went to see Jace, she'd feel guilty for 'admiring him from afar' as Izzy said.

She brought her lower lip between her teeth. "...fine" she conceded. "I'll go, but _only _if you go. No ditching me at the last minute, and no obvious ogling. Jace lives off that stuff." _His ego is already inflated as it is, _she added to herself silently.

The car ride was filled with memories reminisced of the times at the lake before her injury. That incident left her in the hospital for a week. What she didn't know at the time was that there was a plethora of rusty nails on that dock, and she'd unknowingly nicked herself on one. Giving her the prime opportunity to get tetanus.

Izzy handed her friend the aux cord and Clary scrolled through her phone and tapped on _Meet Me in the Woods Tonight by Lord Huron_.

_I took a little journey to the unknown _

_And I come back changed, I can feel it in my bones _

_I fucked with the forces that our eyes can't see _

_Now the darkness got a hold on me _

_Holy darkness got a hold on me_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_How long, baby, have I been away?_

_It feels like ages, but you say it's only days_

_There ain't language for the things I've seen, yeah_

_And the truth is stranger than my own worst dreams_

_The truth is stranger than my own worst dreams_

_Holy darkness got a hold on me _

Clary reminded Isabelle countless times during the drive over that she was only there to clean up the house after her Aunt's death, _nothing else_. Izzy wasn't convinced, but didn't press any further.

_I have seen what the darkness does _

_(Say goodbye to who I was)_

_I ain't ever been away so long _

_(Don't look back, them days are gone)_

_Follow me into the endless night _

_(I can bring your fears to life)_

_Show me yours and I'll show you mine _

_(Meet me in the woods tonight) _

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Yeah the truth is stranger than my own worst dreams _

_Holy darkness got a hold on me _

_I have seen what the darkness does _

_(Say goodbye to who I was) _

_I ain't ever been away so long _

_(Don't look back, them days are gone)_

_Follow me into the endless night _

_(I can bring your fears to life)_

_Show me yours, and I'll show you mine _

_(Meet me in the woods tonight) _

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da_

She'd been sad to leave Jace behind but didn't have much control over it. Her parents' overprotectiveness wouldn't let her go back to the lake. She found it awfully disheartening that she was coming back to the lake under the circumstances of her Aunt's death.

_7 years earlier… _

"This is why we shouldn't have let the kids stay with your sister Jocie!" Valentine cried, waving his arms around frantically. He looked ready to blow a gasket.

Clary tried to lift her head up from where she was laying on the hospital bed, but was too exhausted. She wanted to go up to her parents and tell them she loved being with her aunt, that being at that house was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. Even at a young age, she knew her parents' overprotectiveness was extreme. She also knew of the strained relationship between her mother and aunt. But that didn't mean she liked it.

She'd heard the stories from her mother and father, that Aunt Lottie had been - and always would be - a free spirit. Early on, she'd defied her parent's wishes and applied to an art college. She'd also never married, making her seem more unforgivable in her parent's eyes.

Jocelyn had always been the perfect daughter. Good social standing, respectable job, married a respectable man. The approval of her parents was colossal.

Clay had never understood what made Gramma and Pop-Pop act the way they did towards Aunt Lottie. They were supposed to love their kids no matter what.

Jocelyn looked distraught, "I don't think we're ever taking the kids up there again. It's just too dangerous."

She was overcome with the urge to go up to her mother and bury her small face into her mother's purple shirt, crying that it wasn't Auntie Lottie's fault, that she'd be more careful next time. But she knew it was useless; when her parent's minds were set, it was hard to change them.

A few hours later, Jon had come into her room, a frown on his usually carefree face. "Why Clare? Why are mom and dad not letting us stay with Aunt Charlotte anymore?"

She would be asking the same question, if not for her extreme drowsiness. The last thing she remembered before drifting off into a deep slumber was Jonathan mentioning something about Jace.

_Present Day_

Izzy pulled her red Corvette into the Morgenstern driveway, and a knot formed in Clary's stomach. She hadn't been back at the house since the incident. Now that she was here, it made everything all the more real. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth; a nervous habit she'd developed over the years.

From the outside, the house looked warm and cozy with its blue stones and grey brick decorations. Small, rectangular windows were placed asymmetrically and added to the overall style of the house. Surrounding it was a gorgeous garden with many hidden lights. Clary distinctly remembered the garden coming to life during the night, the lights reminding her of little fireflies dancing in the night sky.

Isabelle shook her out of her reverie quite literally, grabbing her small shoulder and shaking it rather roughly. Clary shot her friend a scowl and reached behind her to the backseat where her Mario backpack was. She brought that thing with her everywhere, and wasn't stopping now.

She reached into the small front pouch and picked up the house keys, feeling the familiar ridges in her palm like a comforting hand. She grasped them tightly and trudged up to the front door, a purpose in her step.

Placing the key in the keyhole, she took a large breath and unlocked the door, letting the old memories flood back like an opened dam.

**Thank you guys for being such patient readers and being so kind with me! I worked hard on this part and would hope to see some commentary on it! I'm reeeeaaaallly trying to get over this writers block for ****_TGTBATOIG (The Good, The Bad, and The Okay I Guess) _****but we'll see if I can pull through. It's already the first week of school and junior year is a major bitch! Ha-ha-ha! **

**As always, **

**LoVe FrOm YoUr FaVoRiTe PoTaTo,**

**-BlueAries03**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys I'm back! I know that it's a little too soon for me to be updating this story, but I felt in my little heart that I just ****_had _****to! Ya know? I feel that this chapter ****_reeeeaaaalllly _****shoots this story forward. Plus, we-may-or-may-not get a visit from our favorite golden-eyed friend in this chapter! But don't listen to me, read the chapter and figure out for yourself! **

The house was just as she remembered: with its old-fashioned kitchen, snug living room, roomy dining room, study, and a modest amount of bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms attached. The smell of old wood and Auntie Lottie's perfume welcomed her senses like an old friend.

She placed a tentative step onto the creaky floorboards and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Looking up, she saw the vaulted ceilings lined with dark wooden beams, the place becoming even more familiar the deeper she went into the house. She noticed the ceramic key bowl she'd gifted her aunt for her 40th birthday. Charlotte had a gleaming smile plastered on her face the rest of that day.

Clary felt a firm tug of longing deep within her heart and bit her lip. She felt a siren-call to the bowl - and upon finding it empty - dropped her keys into it. She heard the footfalls of Isabelle's 6-inch heels behind her and turned to see her tall friend shouldering all 4 of her leopard-print suitcases through the front door.

The redhead had to stifle a laugh and asked her friend why she'd brought so many suitcases.

"Because," she rolled her eyes, "you never know the kind of weather we're gonna get up here. It's not like the city where the temperature stays within a certain range. Each suitcase has a different set of outfits for different climates." Isabelle said it like it was a basic fact.

"Although, one of my suitcases is full of just swimsuits and underclothes." She added after a pregnant pause.

This time, Clary couldn't help but let out a sharp laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners and her mouth spread into a wide grin. The other girl just stared at her for a few seconds as though she'd grown a second head but begrudgingly joined in. And who could blame her? Clary's laughing was infectious. She could make anyone feel at ease by just a few words.

Once they stopped and both girls caught their breath, Clary realized that it'd been quite a while since she'd had a good laugh. Sure, there'd been a few times where she'd let a few short giggles out once in a while, but not a huge laugh that could go on for minutes. One that could bring tears to your eyes and a stitch in your stomach.

Clary was suddenly overcome with emotion and ran to Izzy, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. She buried her face into her friend's ruffly red shirt and inhaled deeply, letting the comforting smell of Isabelle's perfume travel to her nose. When she broke away, Clary saw Isabelle's look of astonishment and felt heat instantly rise to her cheeks.

"Sorry," Clary's voice sounded foreign to her own ears, making her inwardly cringe.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Clare. I know how special this place is to you, I'm sure there's a whirlwind of emotions churning through your brain at this very second. Just know that I'm here for you whenever." Isabelle's sudden moment of seriousness vanished and her normal, carefree self fell back into place.

With a swish of her ebony hair, Izzy strutted into the kitchen and began rifling through the various mahogany cabinets lining the walls. When she realized they were completely out of food, Izzy slapped a wad of cash into Clary's hand and told her to drive to the nearest grocery store.

She tried to protest but was silenced by Isabelle's frown. Clary knew never to fight with her on something because she'd _never _win. Wordlessly, she trudged outside to the gravel driveway where they'd left the car, the keys still in the ignition. Clary slid into the car, enjoying the feel of the steering wheel in her hands, and sped off.

_~.o.0.o.~_

By the time she'd arrived, the store was starting to close, and she and other car were the only ones in the parking lot. Knowing she didn't have a lot of time, she grabbed the list Izzy had made and dashed through the automatic doors. Once she was inside, she grabbed a cart - unfortunately it had a rather unruly wheel - and headed off in the direction of the produce.

It was quite hard to steer the cart in her hands and she had to use all of her weight just to make it turn a corner. She spied the apples on a far table and used all her force to push the cart in that direction.

With all her attention focused on getting to the apples, she wasn't focused on who was around her. She realized until it was too late that she'd run into someone, her faulty wheel catching the back of someone's heel and bringing them down to the floor.

The blond man in front of her let out a loud "_Ahh!" _and fell with bravado. Clary's cheeks heated from embarrassment and she immediately walked around to the front of the cart to help out the poor customer.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! This cart is so hard to control and I didn't look at where I was going!" Clary rambled on, nervousness and embarrassment giving her mouth a life of its own.

She reached out a small hand and grabbed the man's, instantly feeling the callouses on his hand. She subconsciously rubbed a thumb across the bumps, recognizing the exact slope and rise of the hand she was holding.

"Nah, it's alright. The carts here are known to be a bit disobedient if you catch my drift." His voice was just as familiar, light and teasing, with a bit of an edge to it.

She was still looking down at the man's hand, trying to figure out just who this person was when he stood up to his full height. She heard the man's breath catch. "Clary?"

She _knew _there was a reason she recognized that voice. The voice she'd heard in dreams for years. The voice she practically knew as well as her own.

Clary immediately looked up and was met with startlingly gold eyes. "Jace!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. "I can't believe it's really you."

"Yup, it's me, in the flesh." His voice was muffled by the puffy fabric of his sweater surrounding her ears, but it still sounded like the Jace she knew. _Her Jace_.

She broke away from his embrace, even though her heart was screaming at her brain not to. Her voice came out slightly breathy, "It's really good to see you, Jace."

He grinned down at her, making her heart skip a beat. "It's good to see you too, Shortcake." He ruffled her hair affectionately, her old nickname pleasant-sounding and bringing her back to a time when things were simpler.

Although, the more she looked at him, the more she realized that things _had_ changed about him. Obviously he'd grown up: his face lost all the preteen baby fat, his eyes deeper-set, his mouth becoming curved and full, and his curly golden hair reaching just below his ears. A stark difference from the short crew cut of 10-year-old Jace.

But the main difference that stuck out at her like a sore thumb were his eyes.

They'd lost their light. Sure, they were _light_, they were gold for god's sake! But they'd lost their spark, their joy for life. A line appeared between Clary's brows and she was overcome with the sudden urge to draw him close and tell him everything was alright.

"So," he broke the awkward silence between them, "What are you doing back? I thought you were never allowed to come back here 'till the day you died," His light and teasing voice washed over her like a warm blanket, but she didn't let it distract her from what she came here for.

"It's been really nice talking to you Jace, but I need to shop for groceries," she grabbed her cart - turned her back to him - and wheeled it over to the produce section. She let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived when she heard his footsteps come up behind her.

"Well let me help you, Clare. I haven't seen you in almost 8 years, the least you can do is _talk_ to me." Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get rid of him that easily. In her heart, she knew what she was doing wasn't fair to him, but she didn't know how to act around him now. Things had changed. _He'd _changed. _She'd _changed.

Before she could react, he grabbed her list lying in the bottom of the cart, his eyes skimming over it. "Okay, looks like you need apples, spaghetti and sauce, meatballs, chips and salsa, cookies, burger fixin's, and things to drink. Seems simple enough," he sounded sure of himself, which was the exact opposite of how Clary was feeling.

She felt him come to stand right next to her and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, as if she would run off if easily-spooked. Their eyes met, and Clary saw his clouded with some unknown emotion. "May I?" his hand reached out towards the cart and all Clary could do was nod.

_Jesus Christ Clary, _she said to herself, _get a grip! You have to stop being such a fucking mute, say something to him._ But no words could come out. Nothing.

Jace ended up making surprisingly good company as she browsed the shelves for what she needed, but she would die before she told him that. She didn't want to act like things could go back to normal, because they couldn't. They just _couldn't_. Not after the distance she'd placed between herself and him after she left.

Silence seemed to swallow them both whole as it appeared Jace had nothing to say as well. It was rather comical actually.

When she was all checked out, Jace grabbed her bags and carried them out to Isabelle's car. Since her's was the only other car in the parking lot, she didn't have to tell him which one it was.

Once her bags were loaded into the trunk of the car, Clary looked back to thank Jace when her breath caught. The look in Jace's eyes was anything but guarded. In fact, they held real emotion in them, something she hadn't seen from him in a long time.

"Clary," he took a deep breath. "I know it's hard for you to be back here, especially under the circumstances." She looked at him in shock, but then remembered it was a small town and news got around fast.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush and just cut to the chase okay? I'm in love you Clary. I've felt this way for a long time, I just didn't know until you left." Clary opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off. "You don't have to say anything," he looked down at his hands, as if they could will his feelings away. "I just wanted you to know how I truly felt."

And with that, he left. He left her without giving her a chance to speak. He left her with his feelings. He left her, without knowing that she felt the exact same way.

**Thank you guys for reading! School's been better this week but just when things were starting to look up, my cat got sick, like ****_really _****sick. I'm going to be taking care of her for the next few days cuz she has a feeding tube and is on bedrest, but I'll see if I can start on another chapter when I can. In the meantime, please review and let me know how this chapter was!**

**Love ya from your favorite potato**

**-BlueAries03**


End file.
